Pick up any running magazine and there will be many articles about how to run faster. Generally these articles involve types of workouts to try, such as cruise intervals, tempo runs, or hill repetitions. The implication is that success results from "secrets," such as the hard workouts that champions do. The same magazines may include features about top runners and how they train. Read very many of these articles, and it soon becomes clear that top runners train in very different ways. Some train many miles per week. Others concentrate on quality. Some spend many days on the track--others not at all. It seems that there are many paths to success.

Read carefully, though, and it eventually becomes clear that there actually is something in common among all these disparate training programs. Almost every successful runner has chosen a path and then stuck with it. Consistency is the key.

Let us take a look, for example, at top women marathoners. World record holder Paula Radcliffe has had the same coach her entire career. Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi has had the same coach since she was 18. The best women's marathoner who I have ever coached started working with me she was 32 and had a marathon PR of 2:45. Her first results with my program were not encouraging (a 2:54 marathon) but she stuck with it. Two years later she ran 2:36 on a hilly course to finish eleventh at the U.S. Olympic trials, and four months later she followed up with a 2:34. Consistency had paid off.

That same year, although she had done the best racing of her life, she switched coaches, choosing a former Olympic runner to coach her. Within six months, she was injured, and the former Olympic star left her. She went from coach to coach, but never regained the magic. She never again ran faster than 2:45. The problem wasn't the quality of coaching. Those other coaches were all experienced and competent. The problem was that she was not consistent. She was impatient, and never stayed with a program long enough for it to take hold.

It is important to find a program (including a coach, if possible) and stick with it. Too many runners (especially those in their twenties) try to coach themselves, and end up flitting from fad to fad, based on whatever was written in last month's running magazine. It is much better to find a plan and stick with it. This is easier with the help of a coach.

I find it helpful to keep a deck of 3x5 index cards, on which I have written helpful advice to myself to improve my own running. Besides "Consistency is the Key," I also have, "Trust Your Ability--Trust Your Program." This reminds me that it is important to believe in my program and to maintain consistency. To a great extent, the consistency is even more important than the nature of the program.

Other forms of consistency are equally important. For example, it is important to keep consistent hours, going to bed at about the same time every night. Likewise, it is important to eat a consistent diet, and to keep alcohol usage in moderation. Training well requires managing high levels of stress, and we now know that the total stress load is the result of many factors, including all facets of one's life. None of us is surprised that negative events such as divorce, or the death of a family member, greatly increase stress. What may be more surprising is that stress researchers have shown that even extreme positive events (such as marriage, or winning the lottery) also tend to create a great deal of stress. The distance runner wants to keep things on a Zen-like even keel, and smooth out the highs and lows. If you see distance runners interviewed on TV, it is easy to see this in their personalities. While sprinters and jumpers are emotional and excitable, distance runners talk about their sport in flat, even, rational tones. That personality helps the runner to manage stress better, which is necessary for high volume training.

The consistency principle is universal in distance running. To succeed, the runner must keep a steady and consistent pace. Training runs must be done consistently day after day, rain or shine. The smart runner buys the same brand and model of shoe, time after time. The pre-race routine is exactly the same, every time.

Consistency is necessary to reduce variation, and to make performance more predictable. The really consistent runner no longer needs to worry about having a bad race. Race performance becomes consistent. Because training and racing are done in a consistent manner, the runner increasingly becomes aware of nuance. If something is slightly out of kilter or unexpected, the runner notices. This fine-tunes the runner's awareness and hence the runner's performance.

To sum up, every runner is different, but every runner can be consistent in his/her own way. This will inevitably lead to improved performances. To increase consistency, try to 1) find a coach and training program, and stick with them, 2) keep consistent hours and eating and drinking habits, 3) keep your emotions on an even keel, 4) buy the same shoe model every time, 5) have a consistent pre-race routine, and 6) race at a consistent pace. Remember, consistency is the key.

Roland Rust provides free coaching to a handful of dedicated runners. Take a look at his coaching resume. He also does the Washington Running Report runner rankings.